US 2019/0139378 A1Published application

Communication or signaling system that includes a variable pressure activated porous volume emitter along with related methods

AssigneeUnited States Government, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy

InventorsJules E. Pienkos, Aaron B. Cole

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Abstract

An exemplary communication or signaling system that includes an energy emission system that can include a control system, a fluid reservoir, fluid transfer structures, a fluid pumping system, an emission structure, an enclosure extending away from the fluid emission structure, a fluid recovery system, and a lens structure adapted to pass energy through the lens structure. The emission structure can include a porous structure and/or structure(s) with a number of fluid emission sections that generate one or more fluid structures such as droplets or other fluid shapes which increase or decrease fluid surface area on the fluid emission structure and thereby increase or decrease energy emissions or absorption on or in relation to the fluid emission structure. The control system can selectively modulate pressure/fluid transfer via the pump into the fluid transfer structures which alter energy emission or absorption that can be detected at a distance.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A selective communication or signaling system comprising:

a porous media comprising a first and an opposing second side, the first side is formed with an emissive surface having a first surface area, the porous media formed with internal structures that carry fluid in deterministic flow paths such that the porous media causes unsteady flow fields in a fluid resulting in said fluid passing to said first surface area of the emissive surface, wherein the emissive surface is formed with a plurality of apertures configured to selectively exude fluid from the porous media as semi-spherical shapes, droplet or beads form to create a second surface area that is greater than said first surface area;
a fluid reservoir including a thermal control system configured to store, collect, transfer, thermally regulate, and/or filter the fluid;
a fluid pump coupled to fluid reservoir and the fluid reservoir that selectively pumps said fluid from the reservoir;
an input valve in fluid communication with the fluid reservoir and the second side of the porous media, wherein the input value is configured to selectively receive said fluid from the fluid pump and regulate at least flow, pressure gradients and amount of the fluid into the porous media;
an output valve disposed in fluid communication between a second section of the second side and the fluid reservoir, the output valve configured to selectively control fluid flow out of the second side of the porous media;
a controller configured to control operation of the thermal control system and pump, the input valve, and the output valve based on an input modulation sequence that pulses, controls, or selectively exudes said fluid from the porous media as semi-spherical shapes, droplet or beads form to create said second surface area that is greater than said first surface area;
an enclosure or housing coupled with an outer perimeter of the first side of the porous media, extending away from the first side of the porous media, and surrounding the emissive surface;
and
a lens structure formed with a material which passes or is transparent to thermal energy, the lens structure is coupled with the enclosure or housing and is disposed above the first side of the porous media and coupled with the outer perimeter of the first side such that a gap is provided between the lens structure and the first side of the porous media.

6 more elements

A selective communication or signaling system including a porous volume emitter system comprising:

an enclosure with a transparent side;
a porous media disposed within or coupled with the enclosure, wherein the porous media is formed having a first side and second side opposite the first side, the porous media formed with internal porous structures that pass fluid through the porous media to the first side, the first side comprising an emissive surface having a first surface area, the emissive surface formed with a plurality of apertures or pores each in fluid communication with respective said internal structures that form fluid flow paths through the porous media from the first side to the second side, wherein said emissive surface is disposed facing the transparent side of the enclosure and is spaced apparent from the transparent side providing a gap between the transparent side and the emissive surface;
an input valve in fluid communication with the second side configured to regulate flow, pressure gradients and amount of the fluid into the porous media from the second side;
an output valve connected to a reservoir and configured to control flow of fluid out of the porous media's second side;
a fluid movement device that selectively passes the fluid to the porous media to increase or decrease pressure in the porous volume emitter system to a predetermined pressure;
a fluid reservoir configured to store, collect, transfer, thermally regulate, and/or filter the fluid in the porous volume emitter system;
and
a controller configured to manipulate the pump, the input valve and the output valve of the porous volume emitter system.

5 more elements

A method of using a selective communication or signaling system comprising:

providing a selective communication or signaling system including a porous volume emitter comprising;
a porous media configured to carry a fluid in a deterministic flow path such that the porous media causes unsteady flow fields in the fluid to modify the surface area;
an emissive surface, in fluid communication with the porous media, comprising a plurality of apertures configured to receive the fluid from the porous media and eject fluid from the plurality of apertures in the form of droplets into an emittance space, wherein the emissive surface comprises of a draining system configured to divert excess liquid in the emittance space to a drainage reservoir, wherein the emissive surface further comprises emissive structure or plumes comprising predetermined geometric shapes that produces a predetermined surface area for the fluid droplets;
an input valve configured to regulate the flow, pressure gradients and amount of fluid into the porous media;
an output valve connected to the drainage reservoir and configured to control the flow of fluid out of the emittance space;
a fluid modulation device configured to increase or decrease pressure in the porous volume emitter system to a desired pressure, wherein the fluid modulation device comprises of a vibration and a pressure inducing mechanism;
a fluid reservoir configured to store, collect, transfer, thermally regulate, and/or filter the fluid in the porous volume emitter system;
at least one pipe configured to hold the fluid and allow the fluid to move between the fluid reservoir, the input valve, the output valve, and the porous media;
a controller configured to receive a sequence of modulation or communication emission control inputs to operate the pump, the input valve and the output valve of the porous volume emitter system;
and
an external excitation instrument configured to agitate particles found in the unsteady flow fields;
determining a sequence of modulation or communication emissions from the porous volume emitter comprising a plurality of different increases or decreases of energy emissions or absorption on or in relation to the fluid emission structure which can be detected by an external receiving system;
modulating the porous volume emitter system based on the sequence of modulation or communication emissions comprising:
activating the fluid modulation device via the controller to generate a pressure in the porous volume emitter and pressurize the fluid in the at least one pipe in a direction toward the input valve;
opening the input valve to allow the fluid in the at least one pipe to flow through the input valve and into the porous media;
regulating the pressure of the fluid modulation device so the cohesive forces created by the surface tension of the fluid is greater than the pressure pushing the fluid through the plurality of apertures on the emissive surface forming droplets of the fluid on the emissive surface;
modifying the pressure input of the fluid modulation device to change the pressure exerted on the fluid from a positive force to a negative force, moving the fluid in a direction away from the emissive surface;
and
oscillating the pressure to continuously exude and retract the fluid from the emissive surface.

16 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/184,976Filed 8 Nov 2018
Priority: 8 Nov 2017
Published: 9 May 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

G05D 16/024
Control of fluid pressure: controlling the inlet pressure, e.g. back-pressure regulator
G08B 1/06
Using hydraulic transmission; using pneumatic transmission: hydraulic only
G21K 1/046
Using variable diaphragms, shutters, choppers: varying the contour of the field, e.g. multileaf collimators
G21K 1/30
Arrangements for handling particles or ionising radiation, e.g. focusing or moderating: for confining neutral particles or handling confined…